Russia probe

Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz said Wednesday that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should be recused from the Russia probe because he wrote the memo President Donald Trump used to fire former FBI Director James Comey. "He wrote the memo," Dershowitz told Anderson Cooper on CNN. "The first person you call as a witness is Rod Rosenstein" in a trial on obstruction of justice. "Rosenstein's own status in the case raises deep questions," he said. CNN reported Tuesday that President Trump was considering firing Rosenstein — andThe New York Times disclosed the president tried to dismiss Mueller in December after he had subpoenaed Deutsche Bank for records on Trump's finances. "Let's assume he doesn't get recused and he testifies," Dershowitz posed about Rosenstein. "His lawyers will come back and say: 'If he is now recused, we have to go back and see if he tainted anything else.' "You are telling me it is OK for the same person to be … [Read more...] about Dershowitz: Rosenstein Should Be Recused From Russia Probe

Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz on Thursday further argued against President Donald Trump firing anyone in the Russia probe and instead emphasized Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should recuse himself. "Firing is an act by the president," Dershowitz told Anderson Cooper on CNN. "I would be very much opposed to that. "It would be a terrible mistake," he said, noting this position included Rosenstein, special counsel Robert Mueller "or anybody." "That's a big difference between that and [Rosenstein's] lawyers taking a legitimate step that many lawyers would take of seeking recusal," he said. Dershowitz has argued Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller as special counsel last year after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, should recuse himself because he wrote the document that the president used to justify Comey's dismissal. But on a Rosenstein recusal, Dershowitz did note to Cooper: "I'm not sure it even has an advantage for the president. "If Rosenstein … [Read more...] about Dershowitz Presses Recusal of Rosenstein in Russia Probe

A spokesperson for special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative team told the news site The Daily Caller that "many stories" about the Russia probe "have been inaccurate." That warning came in response to a sketchy story that ran late last week saying that the Mueller probe had evidence that Michael Cohen, the personal attorney to President Donald Trump, had traveled to Europe in 2016 to purportedly meet with a Russia operative. Though Mueller's team would not address that story specifically, the spokesperson said reporter, beware. "What I have been telling all reporters is that many stories about our investigation have been inaccurate. Be very cautious about any source that claims to have knowledge about our investigation and dig deep into what they claim before reporting on it," the spokesperson told the Daily Caller. "If another outlet reports something, don’t run with it unless you have your own sourcing to back it up," the spox told the DC. McClatchy's story about Cohen … [Read more...] about Mueller’s Warning: ‘Many’ Stories on Trump-Russia Probe Are Wrong

Rudy Giuliani said he joined President Donald Trump's personal legal team to bring an end to the Russia probe, but special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators are said to be "amused" by the former New York City mayor's objective. "If Rudy comes to Mueller trying to negotiate anything short of a presidential guilty plea, he will likely be met by deaf ears," a lawyer following the case told Fox Business for a Friday report. Mueller’s team has signaled that its investigation into possible meddling by Moscow in the 2016 election is "exploring new avenues presented by at least two cooperating witnesses" — according to the report — and Giuliani can do little to force the special counsel's hand. "Giuliani’s great, but I don’t think he’s going to move the dial one way or another," Chris Swecker, a white-collar criminal attorney and FBI assistant director, told Fox Business. "I know how Mueller operates. "He’s not going to let anyone stampede him … [Read more...] about Report: Mueller Team ‘Amused’ by Rudy Giuliani’s Goal to End Russia Probe

Even if President Donald Trump were to successfully navigate the legal landmines to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, doing so would not derail the Russia investigation, experts say. Chopping off the head of the Russia probe would likely sprout several entities — some already tangentially involved — to pick up where Mueller left off. "Bureaucracies are complicated animals and this one has metastasized beyond the Mueller investigation," Benjamin Wittes, a Brookings Institution senior fellow, told Politico. "That's the thing that functionally protects the investigation." "Those career people won't pack up their bags and go away," former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi told Politico. "And if a certain president thinks Mueller is aggressive, the (Department of Justice's) Public Integrity Division would not let this go." Earlier this week, former FBI Director James Comey said firing Mueller "would be utterly ineffective in practice," adding that he "could imagine U.S. … [Read more...] about Firing Mueller Won’t End Russia Probe